|
This week's Answer:
Our
Right To Have You Not Be Right Actually,
what you talk about happens in many movies and scripts
and, if you're looking for it, you'll find it. It's human
nature to enjoy opposites. If we burn our mouths with
something hot, we'll grab something ice-cold to drink
right after. We think mostly in black and white, in
opposites. When
a hero says something will never happen and, later, when
that very thing happens, it gives us a type of pleasure
because we like to say to the hero, "You were wrong.
In fact, the opposite thing that you said would happen happened."
We like to see heroes be imperfect, which allows us
to relate to them more in our own imperfection. We
experience a type of subtle thrill when we get to say to
the hero, "Ah-hah! You thought you knew, but you
didn't!" We
naturally and normally don't cater to hubris or bragging
or self-aggrandizement, and we don't want to see that in
our hero, and, when we detect these elements or even
over-confidence, we want to "take the hero down a peg
or two". We like it when the hero "spoke too
soon" or wasn't able to be see everything that was
coming on their path. You
can even use your skillful detecting of this writer's
device, to use "opposite thinking" and ask
yourself, "If the opposite of what he claims does
happen, then how will this "opposite event"
influence the story?" Thus,
in a sense, this "the hero speaks the opposite,"
moment if interpreted correctly can act as a foreshowing
event or element. But
I would never, ever in the future use this device in my
screenplays. See
what I mean? Douglas
Herman Script
Advisor
CLICK
HERE (weekly
offer) if you want me to read your script and show you how
and where to put in an "hero speaks the
opposite" moment. that service.
|
